


all this gorgeous pretending

by MiniNephthys



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-04
Updated: 2015-11-04
Packaged: 2018-04-30 01:44:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5145680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The underground is on the verge of war.  That's not Mettaton's business, though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	all this gorgeous pretending

**Author's Note:**

> Post-Undyne solo neutral end.

Most of the time, the world off the stage doesn’t bother Mettaton much.

Who cares if the ruler of the underground is Asgore or Undyne? So what if more and more of his viewers are decked out with armor and spears? Life isn’t any different in the most important ways: people still need entertainment and inspiration, and they still look to Mettaton for those things. So everything’s just fine!

Anyway, the odds that Undyne will be able to break the barrier without finding seven more humans is low. And humans don’t fall into the underground all that often. It might take longer than her lifetime to get the amount of soul power needed to break the barrier and lead her army out to destroy humanity. Maybe the next ruler won’t be as vengeful, either.

...Maybe?

Mettaton hears people whisper, though, that Undyne’s plan is to just cross the barrier herself and bring back the remaining necessary souls from the humans on the other side. If anyone can do it, they say, it’s Undyne. She’s unstoppable. Getting six human souls would be nothing for her.

That’s a bit more worrisome. And Mettaton doesn’t like to worry about anything. Another war would really put a cramp on his performances... and also, involve a lot of people dying unnecessarily.

Sometimes it feels like he’s the only one who remembers that the humans who declared war on them are all dead now. There’s only one human who’s specifically wronged them, and isn’t it better to let one human go than to try and murder everyone else alongside them?

Well. That’s not really his business. He can put on the best of metal smiles and keep performing, and when it’s time for the cameras to turn off, he slips out of Hotland, down the river to a small house in Waterfall.

He knocks on the door, and Napstablook hurries to let him inside. “How was your show...?” they ask, even though he can clearly see that the channel is still playing on their TV.

“Wonderful as always. The live audience loved it, we had a near-record number of viewers, everything went flawlessly.” Mettaton sighs, for dramatic effect. He can’t help it. “But even that doesn’t satisfy me any longer.”

“Oh... Do you want to feel like garbage? You’ve been coming here a lot for that lately...”

“Blooky, of course I’m coming here to see you,” he says. “...But I’d like to do that too.”

Napstablook bought a carpet for him to lay down and feel like garbage on a while back. It’s very much appreciated.

He lays on his back and stares at the ceiling. Around him, the world is still the same: tense, on the verge of a second war that may be the ruin of humans, monsters, or both. There’s still nothing he can do about it, even as a famous idol.

But, if only for as long as he’s on this carpet with Napstablook, that’s something he can be at peace with.


End file.
